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How you pay for gas makes a difference, too. We use a credit card that pays us 5% back on all purchases at gas stations, drug stores and supermarkets. As long as you pay the balance on your credit card each month, that can add up to REAL savings.

True. And One thing I point out to people is as the price of gas gets higher - generally the percentage of difference between regular and mid-grade and super gets smaller and smaller, making it more of a possibility that using a higher grade of gasoline might be more economical. For example, If you are currently running regular gas in a vehicle that gets 22 MPG, and lets say the price of gas is $3.40 reg; $3.50 mid; $3.60 super. You would only have to get 22.7 MPG on mid grade to make it worth your money, or 23.3 MPG on super. Not all vehicles will show an improvement in mileage with different grades of gasoline, but many do. We have an '93 Dodge Dakota which does not seem to benefit from the different grades. We also have an '04 Ford Escape that gets 2 MPG more on mid-grade than regular, making it well worth the extra price. Super does not make as big a difference in this vehicle. Something to consider, nonetheless.

If you want to calculate how many MPG you would have to get to benefit this is the simple formula:

Current MPG X Price of gas for the better grade / Price of your current grade

So for a current MPG of 18 MPG on regular gas at $3.45 a gallon compared to mid-grade at $3.55 a gallon:

18 X 3.55 / 3.45 = 18.5

So, for this example, you would only have to gain .5 MPG to make the mid-grade pay for itself.

This is probably relatively minor in comparison some other suggestions, and I'm guessing that some people are already doing this, but I build a little extra time into my morning commute for a quick search along the route to work (I live in Biddeford and work in South Portland). The same with returning home from work (I get out of work late, and my wife is usually asleep at that time, so showing up at home fifteen minutes later than usual doesn't elicit a response ).

Yesterday (May 25th) was our 6th anniversary. We dropped the girls off with my mother so that we could have an evening alone. Along the trip back home (between Waterboro and Biddeford), I searched for three caches, found two. I have such a loving and understanding wife.

1. Buy good software! The savings in efficient trips can more than pay for it. Looking at all the available caches on a map and planning your route ahead of time can save time and money. 2. Don't trust the 'find next closest waypoint' option on your GPS. While it may only show it at 1.73 miles away, the next closest cache may easily cost you 3-5 miles driving time. 3. Make sure your tires are at the proper P.S.I. Buy new ones where you can have them rotated for free, and have it done every 5k miles to extend their life. 4. Change over to a quality synthetic oil if you haven't already. A really good one can save you time and money in extra oil changes. It'll give you better mileage in the mean time too. 5. Look into a downloader or a local mechanic that can re-program your car's computer to run more efficiently in our region and with our dirty local fuel. 6. Clean out the trunk and lighten the load. That also means riders that aren't contributing. 7. Don't think that stopping to pick up bottles and cans will make you money to pay for the trip. All the fuel lost in deceleration, acceleration, and idling while you're picking them up Will Cost You. 8. Plan a trip to the city where you can use your bicycle. Save Gas......Peddle Your Arse.

First off, as some other folks have stated . . . for me geocaching is a hobby and as such a discretionary "line item" in my household budget . . . but when I stack this hobby up against ATVing or sledding (costs to register, fuel, eating out, trailering on occasion, etc.) it seems as though geocaching is a real bargain . . . more importantly the benefits for me outweigh the costs (i.e. the views, getting outside, getting some exercise, meeting up with friends, etc.)

That said . . .

1) I've been opting to run my new "beater" car . . . it's not a real beater car like my old 1990 Celica, but nevertheless the Honda does get pretty comparable gas mileage and is a heckuva lot better than the gas guzzling 4Runner. Honestly, I prefer the gas sipping Accord better . . . except when my stupid Magellan takes me down a gravel road with washouts . . . major washouts . . . in the middle.

2) I intend to see if folks might want to partner up and car pool . . . and I should add that other than grabbing local caches near home or at work I tend to wait and do a day or a weekend of caching rather than running out for an evening of caching. For me caching is a real treat and so I tend to go out on just one or two "big" outings rather than lots of shorter ones. Usually I try to combine these outings with camping . . . that way I get a "two-fer" . . . well "three-fer" if you're able to go caching and camping with friends.

3) I often skip meals while caching . . . I know, I know . . . sounds hard to believe. However, this past weekend I tended to snack more than eating real meals . . . although I did run into Parmacheenee while eating my "lupper" near a cache site. I also try to pack drinks in coolers and often stock up on water (even though I'm not a big water drinker) when I find free tap water at parks, springs, etc.

4) Like Squirrelcache said . . . plan out the day. Don't rely on the "caches closest to you" feature on the GPSr -- oftentimes that will direct you to go one way and then the next. Instead use good software or at the very least take a look at gc.com's google maps and plot out your trip.

5) Like Vicbiker said . . . I often look at cache density when choosing where to go on my caching adventures since I'm a pretty busy guy and I honestly don't want to drive several hours to find just one cache (that's just me . . . and my opinion). However, I also don't want to spend all day looking for GRCs and LPCs . . . I tend to pick a location farther from home in a place that looks interesting or with caches that sound scenic, historical, etc . . . so density plays a part for me . . . but it's density + location that really matters (i.e. one reason I went to Eustis last year was due to the fact that a particular gcmainer had put out a lot of caches in an area that appealed to me . . . and there's another gcmainer that put out a bunch of caches in the Abbot area a few weeks back that I noted would be good to check out.)

6) Finally as Native Mainer mentioned . . . I also will try to incorporate caching into my commute . . . but eventually you either reach a point where all you have left are new caches in the area or you end up driving 1 1/2 hours and 66 miles to work for what is normally a 45 minute and 33 mile commute . . . but ah, at least I can justify it to myself . . . it was technically on the "way to work."

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something more important than fear."

I think we should all hire Jake as a driver...guide....tour director....historian....use his vehicle and all his equipment.....that would save money. When I said hire....I actually meant take advantage of.

[quote=firefighterjake;there's another gcmainer that put out a bunch of caches in the Abbot area a few weeks back that I noted would be good to check out.)[/quote] Don't forget about all those great caches in the Canaan area.

I think we should all hire Jake as a driver...guide....tour director....historian....use his vehicle and all his equipment.....that would save money. When I said hire....I actually meant take advantage of.

when ffj, medawisialboaoufoeuaga, and I went down for your party jake did all the driving, and I paid for all the food. It worked out really great, but everyplace we went to served alcohol, and that jake guy drinks alot... (and just to not make jake look bad, for those of you that don't know him, he doesn't drink)

I think sharing your cell phone #'s with fellow cachers is another way to save a buck or two. This can save needless return trips. I recently found the Jamie's Pond cache after FOUR attempts. Wish I had a lifeline the first few times. I've done almost all the caches within 20 miles of Augusta and am happy to help all fellow caches who get stuck. Drop me a note if you'd like my number, and are willing to reciprocate!

I think sharing your cell phone #'s with fellow cachers is another way to save a buck or two. This can save needless return trips. I recently found the Jamie's Pond cache after FOUR attempts. Wish I had a lifeline the first few times. I've done almost all the caches within 20 miles of Augusta and am happy to help all fellow caches who get stuck. Drop me a note if you'd like my number, and are willing to reciprocate!

heh, ya know, I was just thinking that same thing the other day, when we tried to find ems daniels grand lake stream cache, all we had were the coords in the gps, but decided to try and find it anyways... we wandered around for about half and hour with no luck. It made me wish I actually owned a cell phone...

I think we should all hire Jake as a driver...guide....tour director....historian....use his vehicle and all his equipment.....that would save money. When I said hire....I actually meant take advantage of.

I like being used . . . actually I'm hoping to become a little more "social" and plan to start throwing out invites for my geocaching forays.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something more important than fear."